Falk: Eberl wanted Gittens last year, kovac advised Bayern against it

According to Falk, editor of Bild football section, in the Bayern-Insider podcast, Bayern Munich's original primary target before signing Luis Díaz in the summer of 2025 was actually the English winger Gittens, who was then playing for Borussia Dortmund.

The report states that after the primary target Nico Williams refused to join, Bayern sporting director Eberl shifted his focus to Gittens and actively promoted this deal within the club, reporting to the management, including Hoeneß and Rummenigge.

However, Bayern's senior management was not unanimously in favor of this potential transfer. In addition to the excessive transfer fee, there were also doubts within the club as to whether Gittens met Bayern's requirements.

Subsequently, Bayern sought advice from then-Borussia Dortmund coach Kovač. Kovač, who had worked with Gittens for a long time, was very familiar with the player's situation. He reportedly made it clear to Bayern's senior management that he did not recommend completing the deal, believing that Gittens "was not professional enough and not suitable for Bayern."

This assessment ultimately influenced the judgment of Bayern's decision-makers. After receiving Kovač's feedback, senior management such as Hoeneß and Rummenigge decided to abandon the acquisition of Gittens, and Eberl's preferred target thus fell through.

After this, Bayern re-searched for winger candidates and finally set their sights on Díaz. It turned out that this transfer was a huge success. After joining, Díaz quickly became the team's core, growing into a key player under Kompany, and became an important contributor to the team's championship with his excellent performance.

On the other hand, Gittens then transferred to Chelsea for approximately 60 million euros.